Battle Array: Our Wardrobe - Part 2

(Ephesians 6:13)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

(Ephesians 6:14)  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

(Ephesians 6:15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The word “Truth” here is the Greek word “alētheia” which simply means “Reality”. Now a belt is what holds a battle suit firmly in place, and is therefore a very vital piece of the armour. If the belt falls off, most of your armour will be loose. That’s why the Belt of Truth is so vital.

Truth means Reality. Reality is that which is Eternal. And that which is Eternal, is that which God has said. In other words, Truth is the Word of God (John 17:17).

Not the word of the Economic system.

Not the word of the Doctor.

Not the word of the Scientist.

Not the word of the Lecturer.

Not the word of the Media.

It doesn’t matter who says what, or by what qualifications they spoke, if it is not founded on the Word of God, IT IS INVALID! It makes no difference whether they were philosophers or so-called “wise men”. Personal life experiences are not a yardstick to measure Truth, and proverbs of grey-haired, pot-bellied, palm wine drinking ‘elders’ and forefathers is at best worldly wisdom; it doesn’t measure up to Truth even though they sound wise. One of such proverbs is: “What an elder sees when he is sitting down, a child cannot see it even if he climbs a palm tree”

Well, if that child is filled with the Holy Ghost, and the elder is not, then the opposite of that statement is TRUE!

“Truth is according to what God says” (Rev. Gabriel Israel).

No wonder the Lord Jesus says to live “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). As Christians, the ONLY material we should feed on, meditate on, speak, believe, preach and ultimately live by is the Word of God. It doesn’t matter what is obvious; that the X-ray results show that you have a Tumour, or that the lecturer said you failed the course, or that your Bank account is so low, it has even gone into minus, or whatever is evidently going wrong. In the midst of the obvious challenges, we must never be oblivious of the Word of God, and we must reckon it as the ONLY Truth that holds.

However, we must also understand that there is “A Word of God” to the New Creation in Christ, it is the “Word of His Grace” (Acts 20:32). The Law of Moses is in the Bible. The wrath of God revealed through the Prophets is also in the Bible. BUT THOSE WORDS ARE NOT WRITTEN TO THE NEW CREATION. The New Creation doesn’t belong in the Old Testament, and there is a difference between the Old Testament and the Old Testament SECTION of the Bible. The Old Testament refers to the “Law and the Prophets”, and the Old Testament SECTION refers to “Genesis to Malachi”.

The Word of God for the New Creation is that Word that is consistent with God’s plans and purposes in CHRIST JESUS. This is the Belt of Truth, and when you have this belt on, you cannot be deceived.

(Romans 5:17)  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

That’s pretty straightforward. The Breastplate of Righteousness is a Gift! If you are a believer, you ALREADY HAVE IT! Infact, you cannot be a Christian without having this Gift, because Righteousness is the very Nature of God which you are given when you get born again.

But then it gets bigger!

(2 Corinthians 5:21)  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

You are the very expression and trophy of God’s Righteousness! You have gone past being “Right”; you have become the “Rightness” of God! So, why is Paul asking us to put this on? Aren’t we already Righteousness?

It’s because, putting on the Armour of God means to understand these Truths and meditate on them until they become your everyday consciousness, and forms a mindset in you. When it becomes a mindset, then the armour is on!

So, we are the very display of God’s Righteousness, irrespective of the mistakes we make, or the wrong stuff we may do, it doesn’t change who we are. This is actually where the war is, when you do something wrong and the devil attacks you with guilt and condemnation, then that is when your breastplate of Righteousness will be tested. AND IT WILL STAND.

Those who have this on can never suffer from the devil’s Accusations, Guilt and Condemnation.

(Isaiah 52:7)  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

This is perhaps the piece of armour that mostly demonstrates the Love of God as well as God’s Number one priority; Soulwinning! This is the responsibility of every believer, and the ultimate reason for the Armour; to effectively advance against and plunder the Kingdom of Darkness, by rescuing souls from the dominion and control of the devil.

Therefore, evangelism shouldn’t always be a planned event where we all gather together to go out and preach the Gospel. That’s why Apostle Paul said “having your foot shod WITH THE PREPARATION of the Gospel of peace…” In other words, we are to ALWAYS be prepared to win a soul, not only when the local assembly announces Evangelism. We can minister in the buses, in the bus stops, during break periods, anywhere and everywhere!

And what are we to preach?

Isaiah 52:7 – Peace, Good tidings of good, Salvation.

Not Condemnation, Judgement or the Wrath of God!

BY THE WAY: The shoes of the Gospel of peace do not have high heels, because soldiers don’t “cat-walk”, they march! We must not be sluggish in our preaching of the Gospel, because the time is short.

Those who have these shoes on are Indispensable; they cannot die anyhow, because God needs them alive to continue to harvest souls!

If y0u are reading this, and you are not born again, I bring you good tidings of good. God is not mad at you, He loves you, and He wants to demonstrate that love to you. You can receive it now, by saying this simple prayer from your heart:

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for your Grace and love. I believe in your eternal sacrifice for my sins and your resurrection for my justification. With faith in my heart, I accept your Lordship of Love over my spirit, soul and body. I receive eternal life into my spirit, even the nature of righteousness. I am now a child of God, born from above. Thank you for saving me, in Jesus Name.

If you prayed this prayer, I pray for you, that you be filled with the Spirit in all fullness, and be guided by His Eternal word, even as you begin your journey of Faith.

Three done. Three to go.

There’s more; Next week.

With Love,

PeeJay